The Day She Walked In
by usmccanthem
Summary: George is having trouble getting over the guilt of Fred's death. He goes through the paces, but doesn't really live. What happens when an ethereal beauty walk's into his shop and starts his life again? Minor DH spoilers.
1. A Time of Depression

**Author's Note:**

So I wrote a bad copy of this a couple months ago and I finally decided to type it up. It has had some major tweaking and still isn't perfect so I'd appreciate any comments on it. This is only the first chapter. I'll be spending a little time fine tuning what I had written before, so it might take me a while to finish posting it all.

Hopefully it's worth the wait.

USMCcAnthem

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**(Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Fred wouldn't die)**

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**A Time of Depression**

The rays of dawn began to show across the sky, marking the dull grey clouds with streaks of gold and red. Gryffindor colours. It seemed to depress the young man sitting on the window seat, but he didn't shift or move. The sky continued to brighten as the sun peeped over the roofs of the other stores in the Alley. Still the man did not move. He just sat there until the sun found a nice empty spot in the sky and hung there, ready to wake up all those early risers.

The man hadn't truly slept; he'd finished trying after waking up from that horrid nightmare. It wasn't unusual for the man to get nightmares; he'd had them for over a year now. If he looked at a clock he could tell anyone the precise time the event that had triggered the nightmares started, right to the second. However the nightmares had continued to worsen as the days past, bringing his fears to light. This time he contemplated death, just to lessen the survivor's guilt. He now knew how horrible the feeling was and he couldn't believe that he hadn't helped his friend and surrogate brother out before. _Brother, _his mind taunted him, _brother, twin. _George Weasley had lost his twin, Fred, during the Battle of Hogwarts. He'd never really understood the horror of war until that time. Suddenly he was thrown back into his nightmare he had that night.

* * *

_He was standing in a brilliant verdant garden. The tall and thick tree's canopy brought a delightful shade to the hot afternoon. George was de-gnoming the back garden of the Burrow. He was alone in the task, which was odd in itself, as he was always attached by the hip with his twin, or at least had a sibling with him. He shrugged this off, causing the rough cotton of his shirt to drag uncomfortably against his sweaty skin. _

_ Picking up one of the little terrors George swung around twice and released watching the gnome fly into the sky, over the emerald hedge and still keep going. He chuckled to himself and wished for Fred to be there to share in the accomplishment. Shaking his head he continued to roam the garden. As he did so he began to realize that the flowers in the garden were very unnatural shades. _Not just the flowers_, he noticed as he saw the brilliant shades of green and neon bright petals. _

_"Odd," George said aloud before the world changed. _

_ The once vibrant colours instantly drained, becoming dead and lifeless. Shadows seemed to invade the garden and a dank chill ran across his sweat covered body. A siren pierced the air and George automatically knew that the wards had fallen. _

_ Running, that's all he knew. He ran to the house, not noticing the cuts and bruises he gained as he tripped and stumbled his way to the rickety and oddly constructed house. He ran faster as the bellow of his younger brother Ron and the piercing shriek of his mother rang through the air. _I've got to make it, _he thought wildly. _They can't be dead. _He knew whatever was happening had to deal with Voldemort, forgetting in his dream that he had been gone for some time now. However that didn't matter to him, he was just worried about protecting his family from the Death Eaters that wanted to kill them because they were 'blood traitors' and Harry's friends. _

_ Bursting through the door of the Burrow's kitchen he saw a horrible sight. There in all their dead glory were inferi. However they were not normal inferi. No, these re-animated dead, used by the Dark Lord Voldemort, were those who had died in the Battle of Hogwarts. Tonks, Lupin, Creevy and, most importantly, Fred. _

_ Their skin was so thin that George could see their veins, blue with death, covering their entire bodies. Eyes were covered with a white film, giving them a disconcerting gaze. However their hair stayed the same, features similar to when they were in life, when they had died. Fred had his shock of red hair, but he no longer had identical features to his twin. His face was crushed, arms broken and twisted, body crooked and with deep gashes all over his person. He held their dear little sister in his broken arms._

_ She was shaking; face pale, eyes shining with tears. Ginny opened her mouth and said in a voice full of scorn. "I hate you, it's all your fucking fault." Before the inferi that was his twin snapped her neck and she collapsed heavily on the floor._

_ Fred stepped over his little sister and walked with a shuffling gait toward George. George didn't move; not to grab his wand or to back away. He was rooted to the spot, scared and mesmerized by his twin. He'd missed him, and he'd even take him back in this form, no matter what he had just done. Then Fred spoke, "Why did you let me die?" He asked in a rasping voice and a sickly whistle sounded when he inhaled. "Do you see what I've become? It's all your fault. You fucking did this to me you piece of shit, you're the one who deserves to die." Fred sneered and his rotten teeth turned George's stomach. _

_ George felt his chest constrict and he nearly sobbed. "Merlin, oh Merlin. I'm so sorry Fred, so sorry."_

_ "Not good enough," Fred rasped and he reached a hand toward George's neck._

* * *

George had jolted awake by that time. His breath had rasped like his inferi twin, a sheen of sweat coating his body and felt his heart try to escape his chest. His sheets had tangled around his body as he had clawed his way out of bed at around midnight. He'd walked to the window seat and had been in the same position ever since.

Shifting his unseeing gaze to his upturned hands he thought about the loss of his brother. It's so _hard. _He couldn't handle it; handle life. He was missing a part of his soul, the part that he had shared with Fred and the voice in his head that had helped him create pranking items. He'd lost his best friend, collaborator, partner and the one thing he'd ever want to live for. His heart was empty. While he still loved his family, his surrogate brother Harry, Lee Jordan and his surrogate sister Hermione, he just couldn't handle them anymore. He didn't visit them, didn't joke or laugh or prank. He was lifeless with is guilt and his loss. He turned without thought to check the time.

One year, three months, sixteen day, seven hours, twenty-three minutes, fifty-four seconds.

Fifty-five.

Fifty-six.

Fifty-seven.

Fifty-eight.

Fifty-nine.

He shook it off and trudged toward the bath. Once de-robed he stepped under the hot spray of the shower and let it roll over his sticky and tense body; trying to relax. He just couldn't seem to be able to relax his muscles or unclench his teeth. Sighing he gave it up for a lost cause and began to shampoo his hair.

_Is life worth living? Is it fucking worth this pain?_


	2. A Surprising Visitor

**(Disclaimer: Fred is dead so I do not own Harry Potter)**

**A Surprising Visitor**

The day seemed to drag on. From the time he'd walked downstairs to his store he'd been working non-stop, pushing himself forward to try and forget about everything and everyone. It was hard with the shop full of reminders of his twin. There were the tongue-ton taffy's that they had pranked Dudley with and there was the expandable swamp that they had used on Umbridge. George couldn't help but try to deaden his senses and ignore the costumers and his staff.

Such a task for most people would have been impossible as even though the owner was depressed the store was still as popular as it had been when one owner was two. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was crowded with people all yelling, laughing and in some cases, cooing. The place was a hive of activity as the register chimed constantly with each new sale and the brightly coloured boxes disappeared off the shelves, only to be replaced. Girls gathered around the pink section near the front giggling and awing at the pigmy puffs and the boys roamed near the more dangerous and interesting pranks throughout the rest of the store guffawing like idiots while one tried to make the other fart.

George didn't notice this; he just stood in front of one of his staff. He could see her lips moving, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed. _I must be getting a talking to, _he thought distantly not actually paying attention while trying to remember her name. _Meagan? Lindsey? Kayla? Hannah? Whatever, I don't know. _He tried to search for a name tag, but didn't find one. _Maybe I should make it mandatory for staff to wear name tags._

George had never really been good at names, that was what Fred was for. _Fred, Merlin. _Anyone watching his eyes would've seen the sheen of tears and the distant quality to them. He swallowed thickly trying to get past the lump in his throat. It was so difficult to continue to go to work day after day. It was hard to call it work. Before it hadn't been work, it had been his life. His and Fred's. He couldn't just continue on this life without his twin here beside him.

The worst thing about it all was the fact that nobody seemed sympathetic to the fact that he couldn't get over it, not even Harry who still mourned over Cedric, Sirius and Dumbledore. But George knew that Harry had never really known them or all the others that had died around him. Unlike Harry, George had known Fred since the womb, together since the day they were conceived. He had shared thoughts with Fred, literally, as the twin speak they had done was not just from being so close. They had a twin bond, each with a piece of each other's souls and in each other's minds all the time. He had lost half his soul when Fred had passed on, but half of Fred's was still a part of him, making it twice as hard to let go of the guilt, the pain.

He heard the beep from the door alarm signalling someone had entered the store. He glanced over while trying to rid his thoughts of the guilt that followed him and was struck by what he saw.

There just floating in was an ethereal beauty. She glided, not stepped. Her blonde hair seemed to go on forever and was in a disarray of curls. Her eyes were a light blue that seemed to search his soul as his gaze met hers. He thought that she had an elfin look going for her: short but waif thin, thin face with a pointed chin that matched her features, big almond shaped eyes and petite lips and nose.

It was then that he noticed that she was wearing radish earrings.

Was that Luna Lovegood?


	3. Luna's Shock

**(Disclaimer: Luna and George need each other, so I'm not the proud owner of Harry Potter)**

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**Luna's Shock**

A lone woman glided down the cobble stone alley with surprising grace. Lithe and small she made quick work weaving through the people that had bombarded Diagon Alley. With the end of the war came the surplus of business, especially once the Aurors began to capture and imprison the organization known as the Death Eaters who had been under the lead of Lord Voldemort. The woman had been there during the standoff between Harry Potter and Voldemort, also known as Tom Riddle. Their spells had connected and Harry had managed to make Voldemort die by his own spell. The hope and over whelming joy that had filled the Great Hall when the war with Voldemort was over was insane.

The woman had known that much still needed to be done after that final battle, but she hadn't worried herself about that. Instead she had to deal with everything that had happened that year. During her sixth year Luna Lovegood, also known as Loony Lovegood by some malicious people, had been tortured at school, kidnapped and then tortured again. She had to spend time at the Shell Cottage, before the final battle, recuperating physically and the time after the battle mentally regrouping.

While Luna could never say that she had always been quite sane, she had some problems with night terrors and allowing anyone near her for a while after that year. It was because of her problems that she had missed out on the chance to date Neville Longbottom. She had always found him quite endearing, in a shy sort of way and then even more so when he got confident. However, he began to date Hannah Abbot and she knew that he had engaged to her only three weeks ago.

She'd found that she wasn't upset over the loss of Neville, and she hadn't really know what to make of it. So she'd spent her seventh year watching everybody. She learned who made fun of her and why. She realized that she hadn't actually loved Neville, and was more drawn to him because he had been an outcast like her than anything else.

Now she was finished school, and was thankful to leave all of those who had been cruel to her for the past seven years. Luna actually had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She had thought about a Charms Mistress, as she had a talent for them, but had decided against that. Or maybe a spell creator, but she remembered her moms' accident too clearly. Then there was chasing after Crumplehorned Snorcacks, but she knew there was no way to earn a living that way. With a dreamy sigh she pushed thoughts of her future away and continued past the different shops until she was standing outside of WWW.

Luna didn't know why she felt the need to enter the joke shop, but something was urging her in. _Hmm... I must ask father if there are any creatures that induce impulses, _she noted to herself as she stepped through the door. She was met by the usual cacophony of bangs, crashes, laughter and yelling that always seemed to permeate this store. She truly loved it here; all the chaos was entrancing to watch. Her eyes scanned the dark wooden interior, not looking for anything in particular when she met a part of haunted brown eyes.

She scanned the face of the man with the eyes. He was tall – much taller than the woman standing before him – with a shock of red hair that lay unstyled on his head and purple robes which had seen better days. His pale, freckled face was peppered irregularly with ginger stubble and his cheeks were hollow as though he hadn't had anything to eat in quite some time. She caught his eyes again and was shocked by the level of depression that was held in them while the deep bags under his eye suggested that he hadn't slept. It was then that she realized that the man, who seemed to have gone a round with a Hippogryph, was George Weasley.

_It's not really surprising that I didn't recognize him at first_, she thought as she unconsciously drifted over to him. _He doesn't carry himself in the same way as before. There's no mischievous glint in his eye. _She knew that his brother had been killed during the Battle of Hogwarts and was upset to know that he felt guilt about the death, as there was nothing else that could bring such despair in that man's eyes but that.

_I wish I could help._


	4. Loony Lovegood Tries To Help

**(Disclaimer: Nooo! George, where's your ear? The fact that he's missing one means I'm not Rowling so Harry Potter is not mine.)**

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**Loony Lovegood Tries To Help**

George watched as she floated over to him, and he wondered why he was noticing her. He wasn't supposed to care anymore. He didn't want to get hurt. He didn't want to hurt them. But there was something about Luna – as he had known her and watching her now – that assured him that she would do no harm to him; that she was strong enough to face what life threw at her.

_ Maybe all this thinking is because one of those creatures she's always talking about, _he joked and then was floored that he had managed to even think of a joke. Never mind that it wasn't any good. _Crap, shit, Merlin's baggy y-fronts, what the hell has gotten into me? _He thought, panicking slightly.

"Hello," Luna said mistily when she was in front of him, cutting off the rant of his employee, _Jamie, _he thought.

The woman glared at Luna, "Back off Loony, no one wants to talk to you." Jamie sneered at the petite blonde, making Luna's eyes widen in hurt.

George narrowed his eyes and growled at Jamie, unbelievably pissed that she would say such a thing. Not only was Luna Harry Potter's friend, but George knew that Fred had always secretly thought that Luna was cool, in her own odd way. Jamie seemed shocked for some reason before she scurried away, with George dismissing her the second she left. When George turned back to Luna he couldn't help but be mesmerized by her beauty. She seemed to shine with pureness and everything that was right in the world. Everything he needed.

_No, don't think that way George, _he silently berated himself. _All you needed was Fred, not Luna, don't even think about it! _

A second voice in his head sounded, _But she's so pretty, just look at her and she's so nice. Fred would've approved and you know it! Damn, I never noticed how nice her eyes are, they just seem to see __**you**__._

Luna was confused by the star struck expression on George's face, but decided to ignore it. With a glance to his missing ear she wondered aloud, "Does having no outer shell for your ear make it easier for Wrackspurts to invade? I've noticed that there is an abundance nearby and it might be because of you."

Her musings seemed to shake the mesmerized expression off his face as one of amusement appeared. _Wow, I haven't been amused in a long time, _George realized with a start. He blinked as he thought about it. _Did I want to kill myself this morning? _George was deeply perturbed by what he was realizing. _Fuck Fred must want to poltergeist my arse._He was beginning to think that hanging around Luna would be a good idea; especially if she was able to get him thinking clearly.

A shadow of what had once been a magnificent grin alit his face, "I'm sorry Luna," he said with as much solemnity as he could knowing that only her and her father believed in those odd creatures; it didn't really match his face though. _Well, they might make interesting prank ideas, _he mused and the grin got wider. Luna was really something else to get him thinking again. "I've never really been observant about such things," he joked and mock promised, "But I'll be better now, promise."

She gave him a wistful smile, knowing that he was teasing her as she had gotten more aware of how people reacted to her now. "I'll keep you to that promise," she said in her mystical way, but smirked a little to give away that she was just joking.

George gave a choked laugh – as it had been a while since he had last laughed – while he was shocked that Luna, a girl he had always found to be quite serious, had made a joke.

Luna was a bit shocked at her boldness, but pushed the thought away, she didn't need to dwell on old infatuations. Luna had always found George quite attractive during the DA meetings and saw that he would always be the more serious twin. _Serious, not Sirius_. She internally laughed at herself, _entering a joke shop must make you want to joke around. _"So what've you been making lately?"

George had watched a mischievous glint enter her eyes and wondered what she thought was so funny. _It's weird that I've been thinking that Loony Lovegood is attractive, _he admitted to himself before becoming angry that he had made fun of her when he had just defended her. Fred would've so been on his arse. With a wry smile he thought that he wouldn't have felt so bad if Fred was here. _Heck, he would be teasing me like crazy. _ But Fred could no longer do that. He was in this mess because Fred was no longer here; all because of George. In an instant the smile slipped off his face. "I-I ha-haven't really, uh, been, well, making anything new." George stuttered his eyes looking lost and slightly dead, as if the light had suddenly gone out. "I just c-couldn't. Just, no. After Fred died, I-I couldn't handle a-anything –"

Luna cut him off by grabbing a hold of his stubble laden chin. With a surprisingly serious tone of voice that still held it usual mistiness she asked, "Wouldn't Fred rather you prank everybody in close proximity and make things to turn the next prank from good to great?" Her eyes stared into his with a strange intensity, and he could see her trying to force him to see the reason.

George blinked. _Would he? _"I, well, um..." He was completely confused. The girl in front of him was like no other George had ever met. Sure sometimes she as downright weird, but maybe she had a point. _Would Fred have liked that I'm letting myself waste away in guilt? Forget the nightmares and think Weasley, _George commanded himself. _HE would've hated me for what I've been doing. I know it. My family and friends know it. But HELL, I just can't get past it. _Embarrassingly tears welled in his eyes and he jerked his head away from Luna's hand, unable to look at her in fear of disappointment.

"I know," He said, voice filled with emotion; "but I can't Luna." George turned so he was looking into her beautiful large eyes. "I can't. Not yet." With a small sad smile he walked away, calling another of his employee's that he should look after the store, he went up to his flat through the warded staircase that separated his living space from work.

* * *

Luna was unbearably sad to see such a man, who had been full of life, have it sucked out of him. She turned and left the shop, noting that the Nargle invested girl was sneering at her again. She sighed as she walked down the cobblestone alley yet again. She knew she would not be able to forget George, or Fred who had always been nice to her in his own way. But how to get the old George back, or at least give him that same spark.

A sudden realization came to life, with Luna gaining a dazzlingly smile in response. _I know just what to do: I'll make a prank!_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Sorry about the long wait, but I had already created a chapter, but I found it severly lacking and had to make some changes. Throw in final papers being due and exam week, as well as working out my other on-the-go story and _ta da_! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as I'm expanding my original plot, but not by much. I just want it to be realistic and I realized that I couldn't fix George's problem by this chapter, he was just too depressed for it to make a change this early.

Truly sorry for the wait,

USMCcAnthem


	5. The Sight and The End

**The Sight and The End**

Even though Luna had always been a bit wary about spell creation ever since her mother's death, she knew it didn't always happen that way – her mother had made many different spells before her unfortunate experiment. So, armed with the notes she had secreted to her vault before the destruction of The Rook, her home, she began to create a spell.

In the Black Library at 12 Grimwald Place, Luna hunched over her mother's books, making changes to the runic and arrhythmic structures to make her prank go off without a hitch. She was working so intently she didn't notice when another person entered the room.

"Hey Luna," the person said to her, tiredness entering their voice.

She jumped slightly and turned around to face the other, "Hey Harry, long day?"

Harry Potter gave his friend a slight smile, "Hmm, t'was alright. I brought food up for us." He motioned to the plate of sandwiches. "Kreature made them for us, especially when he noticed that you've been in here all day."

Luna dove into the plate of sandwiches, eating the quickly, but still her usual dainty air. "I've been working," she told him between bites, "On a spell to make people see the creatures I am able to. It's supposed to be a prank."

A mischievous glint entered Harry's eyes. "A prank, eh?" He took a large bite of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. "Hmm, would like any help? I don't have work this weekend and…" A haunted look entered his eyes, mirrored by Luna's. They didn't wish to have the nightmares, and the distraction of work would help them forget, if only for a little while.

She gave him a wistful smile, "Of course Harry, maybe we can bat of the Wrackspurts off for a bit."

"Maybe, just maybe." The two shared a smile much too old and went to work.

* * *

George felt funny. Not a 'ha ha' funny, but an odd funny. He doesn't really know how to explain it. Maybe it's the fact that he actually slept last night, or the fact that he actually wanted to have breakfast – he is rarely hungry now-a-days – or the fact that he had actually found something amusing, and had continued to do so for the past week.

He, in a fit of intelligence had actually remembered the good times with his twin instead of just the bad. Like how they had been blue for a week when making the Smurf-sweets and hadn't been able to find an antidote or how they would annoy costumers with their tennis-match talking, as he had heard a muggleborn refer it as. He kept on remembering these things, and he also felt pretty darn good for firing that horrid Jamie girl. Apparently, while he wasn't paying attention, which had been most of the time, she had been tearing down Fred as well as dipping into the register.

He knew that this sudden burst of happiness was not normal, but he was thankful for Luna coming in that day, for helping him think a little more positively, if only for a moment. He could tell that the nightmares were going to start up again, and he can't help but muse on visiting Luna. But that would mean visiting Luna and he had no idea where she was; hell, he didn't even know where Harry was. George realized that he had missed nearly a year and a half of his families life. He doesn't even know what Lee Jordan is doing, though he does remember vague mentions of a branch store in Hogsmeade.

A frown made its way onto his face was he walked down to his store, taking in the calm atmosphere, with the other workers puttering around, making sure that everything was stocked before opening. He made a mental list of things to do, including visiting Lee and Luna as well as hiring a new person to fill up the position that Jamie had… what did she do anyway?

Shaking it off, he realized that the store was already beginning to fill up with people, and he wondered just how long his staff had opened on their own, before his vision changed slightly. Around almost everyone's heads were these little flickers of light, almost like enlarged dust motes, and he found them fascinating to watch. He also saw these ugly, furry balls with large eyes and long noses sneaking between people's feet, biting ankles periodically (he idly noticed that each one they bit left the store without purchasing anything) and cleaning up the place, making the places they entered clean and orderly where it had once been messy and creative. He laughed, a deep belly laugh that startled many around him when he realized just was he was seeing. These were Luna's creatures.

As if the thought summoned her, Luna's voice came from behind him, musical and soft, "Do you like seeing the Wrackspurts and Flingerharts? Quite different, yes?"

George turned to her and smiled, "It's wonderful Luna, did you make a spell for this?" He eyes shone with a fire that had been missing for quite some time.

Luna nodded, eyes protruding with happiness. "Yes, Harry helped too. He's out on a date with Ginny right now. I think he's going to marry her soon." She said, her voicing turning thoughtful at the end. George's eyes widened, he hadn't realized that Harry and his sister were together again.

George looked at the girl – no, woman – who had managed to make him laugh like if Fred was still alive and keep his nightmares at bay, and wondered if she would join him in the shop, mostly with creations. "Hey Luna, I was wondering…"

* * *

Three years passed since the day she walked into his store. He had changed quite a bit since then, no longer haunted or gaunt. He held a merry twinkle in his eye and a crooked smile on his lips. They had started dating not three months after she agreed to help create new pranks for the store. Everything they made together was a great hit. Also, the reactions of the family were also quite amusing once he finally got up the guts to visit them. The dropped jaws and wide eyes amused him to no ends, but the relieved smiles hurt a bit, until she comforted him, as he hadn't realized that he had hurt his family.

Luna moved in with him a year after the day, and they celebrated by making love to each other for the first time. It was memorable, but he still loved the time when they went vacationing in Sweden and screamed "Look a Snorklack," during her orgasm; he laughed for ages about that one.

They had their moments, when he didn't realize she had nightmares and had left for three days only to come crawling back. And when the nightmares got too bad for both of them they would have movie marathons, wizard versions that some Muggleborn had monopolized on. Then they would crawl into bed the next night and hold each other close. But they stayed strong and together through all of it.

Now three years to the day, they were getting married in the backyard of the Burrow, like all his other siblings before him had done. Except, they had a little more fun at theirs; pranks were pulled, his dress robes were bright magenta and hers was the brightest yellow. Laughter filled the backyard during their wedding, and George swore to anyone that would listen that he saw his twin brother raise a glass in toast to them during the dinner, but only Luna believed him, which was good since he married her.

A married man, George Weasley, who would've thought.

Married to Luna Weasley nee Lovegood, who saw that?

Probably Fred.

Probably saw the day she walk in, but he'd have to wait to ask, and he's not leaving Luna anytime soon.

_The End_

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**A/N:**

I'm so sorry for taking so long to finish this. The story was originally done, but then I realized the ending sucked majorly so I had to redo it. I didn't know what to write! This was not the original ending in any shape or form, but I hope you like it. And yes I know that it is unrealistic, as depression does not go away that fast, but this is a fanfiction not a medical journal so please leave those flames in the fireplace where they belong. Yes, well hopefully I get some inspiration for my other not finished fictions (including the one I adopted and haven't been able to add anymore due to lack of creativity). I hope you all have a nice night/day.

Cheers,

USMCcAnthem


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